Trifolium cryptopodium Steud. ex A.Rich.

First published in Tent. Fl. Abyss. 1: 168 (1848)
This species is accepted
The native range of this species is Eritrea to Tanzania. It is a perennial and grows primarily in the montane tropical biome.

Descriptions

International Legume Database and Information Service

Conservation
Not Threatened
Ecology
Africa: Afromontane grassland, Afromontane (upland) shrubland ('moorland')., Afromontane; alpine zone vegetation.
Morphology General Habit
Perennial, Not climbing, Herb
[ILDIS]

Leguminosae, J. B. Gillett, R. M. Polhill & B. Verdcourt. Flora of Tropical East Africa. 1971

Morphology General Habit
Perennial herb often forming large mats; rootstock often thick and rather woody; stems glabrous, creeping below and often rooting at the nodes.
Morphology Leaves
Stipules glabrous, up to ± 8 mm. long, half of this sheathing and half the free lanceolate tips ending in filiform points; leaflets cuneate-obovate, truncate or ernarginate, 2–9 mm. long and up to 5 mm. wide, glabrous; main nerves 6–9 on each side, at an angle of up to 30° with the midrib.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Inflorescences
Inflorescences ± 30-flowered, subcapitate, hemispherical, up to 18 mm. across; rhachis 1–3 mm. long; peduncle fulvous pilose, up to 6 cm. long; bracts white, up to 2 mm. long, linear-lanceolate or sometimes the lowest broad and divided into linear-lanceolate lobes; pedicels fulvous pilose, ± 1 mm. long, not reflexed in fruit.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Calyx
Calyx sparsely golden-pilose, 11-nerved, the commissural nerves when present undivided to the top; tube ± 2·5 mm. long; teeth subulate, 4–5 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Corolla
Corolla purple; standard oblanceolate, ± 9 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Androecium Stamens
Stamens ± 6 mm. long.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Flowers Gynoecium Ovary
Ovary with a stipe ± 0·6 mm. long; ovules 2.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Fruits
Pod glabrous, usually 1-seeded, ± 2·5 by 1·8 mm.
Morphology Reproductive morphology Seeds
Seed brown, ± 1·6 by 1·1 mm.; hilum lateral.
Habitat
Grassy places, often on rocky ground, and sometimes in moist open spots in the upland evergreen forest, moorland and alpine zones; 1800–4100 m.; rainfall 1000 mm. or more
Distribution
K2 K3 K4 K6 T2 U3
[FTEA]

Extinction risk predictions for the world's flowering plants to support their conservation (2024). Bachman, S.P., Brown, M.J.M., Leão, T.C.C., Lughadha, E.N., Walker, B.E. https://nph.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/full/10.1111/nph.19592

Conservation
Predicted extinction risk: not threatened. Confidence: confident
[AERP]

Sources

  • Angiosperm Extinction Risk Predictions v1

    • Angiosperm Threat Predictions
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0

  • Flora of Tropical East Africa

    • Flora of Tropical East Africa
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/3.0

  • International Legume Database and Information Service

    • International Legume Database and Information Service (ILDIS) V10.39 Nov 2011
    • http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • Kew Names and Taxonomic Backbone

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0

  • World Checklist of Vascular plants (WCVP)

    • The International Plant Names Index and World Checklist of Vascular Plants 2024. Published on the Internet at http://www.ipni.org and https://powo.science.kew.org/
    • © Copyright 2023 World Checklist of Vascular Plants. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0